Monday, 4 March 2013

Vikings!

"Thor's fight with the Giants" M.E. Winge 1872. Stockholm.

We have a Sunday afternoon free, shall we go to an art gallery? No, instead we go to an exhibition on Vikings at the National Museum in Chambers Street. Oh weel, she used to live on Lindisfarne, where the 1st Viking raid on what is now the UK was recorded and I spent time on one of their favourite targets Iona, so there is a vague connection and interest there. Fascinatingly, Vikings were NOT the people - it was the name given in Norse to the trading/raiding journeys. The Scandinavians went on vikings, they were not Vikings! And they never wore horny helmets - Richard Wagner's to blame for that idea. (Which I picked up as a child reading Marvel Comics about Thor). It was however a good and interesting exhibition and well worth a gander if you're in Edinburgh before 12th May. Sadly we missed the screening of "The Vikings" film with Kirk douglas and Tony Curtis which was running while we were there. Next time we go, it'll be the David Livingstone exhibition -which is finishing in early April.